I have a dedicated basement HT with a slightly irregular floor layout (not a pure rectangle as there are some wall jogs, protrusions, etc.). It has ceramic tile now and i want to install a wall to wall (or nearly wall to wall) carpet. My goal is to keep the overall carpet/underlayment thickness to a minimum.

Can i simply have a wall to wall carpet installed on a carpet pad and not use any kind of tack strips? I would prefer not to glue strips down because of the occasional desire to remove and clean the carpet.

Are there certain types of carpet that will be better suited for installation without tacking strips? That is... carpets that wont bulge up or bubble without the strips? Any other ideas?

A very large area rug maybe....

What about the Milliken Legato rubber backed modular carpet?

I think that most carpet that is not installed with tack strips or glue will eventually shift and buldge. I would second the large area rug with a rubber backer.

that is exactly what I am doing.

Between speakers and couches, I am not worried at all with shifting.

In my case, I have the 3 front speakers very heavy, 2 subs also very heavy. I also have a couch soon the be replaced with chairs, all of which also pretty heavy. Shifting is hard to imagine with a fairly thick carpet (and padding).

It may occur, yet I would be willing to leave with marginal shifting (again, hard to imagine even according to the guys at the carpet shop).

I want to be able to remove the carpet for cleaning. I want to be able to preserve my tiles (quite nice ones). Whenever I change my mind, I can simply get rid of the carpet and get a new one.

Good luck !

Plus.. Area rugs on tile or even wood floors for that matter always look damn classy to me... :)

windwaves, post how yours works after its installed. The problem with me installing just an area rug is that my front speakers and sub will be half off and half on the rug. This is becuase there is an annoying but needed wall bump (about 8" square) into the room and set behind the screen. The speakers fit nicely on either side of this bump but it means a rug is a no-go for me. I think that would look funny hence wanting a carpet cut to fit.

I agree that rugs look classy. I am stuck in the middle here. I guess i could get the carpet cut to fit, try it without tacking it down and then if it shifts go ahead and glue tacking down.

I went to Home Depot today and their new carpet section was totally overwhelming. I am interested in a low-pile, low profile, possible textured (grid squares, etc.) carpet. Its a basement that has been dry but i still want the carpet to be durable and moisture resistant and removable in a pinch in case we get some water down there. Rubber padding seems to make sense for both grip and moisture resistance.

Now that i think about, i would have to pay for alot of edge finishing unless its installed to the wall or pre-finished....

ughghh